Mechanical Engineering
Autumn 2005
the
MEssenger
In this issue
Chair’s Corner
2
Solar Panel 3
Centennial Photos 4-5
Alumni Corner
6
Academic Spotlight
7
Garbini Named First Morrison Chair
Professor Joe Garbini’s passion for teach­ing
and dedicated mentoring have inspired hundreds of students in their passage through the
classrooms and labs of Mechanical Engineering. Far beyond ME’s walls, Garbini and
his research team are international leaders
in developing revolutionary technology for
a “molecular microscope” that promises to
transform scientific research. In recognition
of these achievements, Garbini was named the
first holder of the James B. Morrison Endowed
Chair in Mechanical Engineering.
“We are proud to honor one of our most
exceptional faculty members,” says ME Chair
Mark Tuttle, “especially because Professor
Garbini is a UW-educated mechanical engi­neer
who is so devoted to nurturing the train­ing and
careers of students, as was Professor
Morrison.”
Garbini earned his BSME (’71) through
PhD (’77) degrees at the UW and joined the
faculty in 1979. He led development of the
undergraduate curriculum in mechatronics, the
Professor Joseph Garbini in his laboratory.
integration of mechanical, electrical, and com­
puter technologies into the design of complex
products. Since 1996 ME has offered a guided
curriculum in mechatronics, culminat­ing in a
senior-level capstone design course. He has
published several papers on engineer­ing
education, and in 1991 received the UW
College of Engineering Burlington Resources
Foundation Faculty Achievement Award for
Outstanding Teaching. He also won ME’s
Outstanding Faculty Award in 2002.
Continued on page 8
Graduation 2005
We need your
stories!
—
Centennial
September 15,
2006
—
Photo History
pages 4-5.
L to r:
John Roundhill,
Franna Pitt,
Mark Tuttle,
Paul Anderson.
ME’s June 12 graduation awarded BSME degrees to 91 students, MSME
degrees to 40, and the PhD degree to 7. ME Chair Mark Tuttle and retired
Boeing VP John Roundhill
(BSME ’67, MSME ’73) offered
welcoming remarks, doctoral
recipient Franna Pitt delivered
the student address, and Paul
Anderson (BSME ’67),
Chairman & CEO of Duke
Energy, gave an inspiring
graduation address.
Chair’s Corner
One of the pleasures of academic
life is the sense of constant
renewal—the 2005–06 academic
year is under way! We are wel­
coming 99 new undergraduate and
37 new graduate students into our
program, which will bring our
total enrollment to 228 undergrad­
uate (junior and senior) and 151
graduate students. I fully expect
Professor Mark Tuttle
these talented students to carry on
the tradition of excellence forged
by the 9700 alumni of the ME department.
Our lead article announces Professor Joe Garbini’s
appointment to the Morrison Chair. Our entire ME commun­
ity congratulates him for this highly deserved honor.
Last year the department conducted an international
search to identify two new faculty members, and received
applications from 368 qualified applicants. We welcome Drs.
Jaehyun Chung and Jiangyu Li as new assistant professors.
Both are experts in nanotechnology. Jaehyun, who arrived
September 1, focuses on the use of carbon nanotubes both as
reinforcements and sensors at the nanoscale. Jiangyu Li’s
appointment begins January 1. His research concentrates on
active materials, ferroelectrics, and ferromagnetism. Their
research specialties support different thrusts under ME’s
strategic plan. Chung’s work will support the department’s
thrust in health care and Li’s work will strengthen our infor­
mation technology thrust. Both are tremendous additions to
the faculty and will play significant roles in the department’s
future. See page 7 for more information on their backgrounds.
Those of you who live within the greater Puget Sound
area should consider attending the 2005 Engineering Lecture
Series, which features three fascinating programs on topics of
wide public interest (see below). ME alums will especially
want to attend the November 8 presentation by Dr. Larry
Anderson, who earned his bachelors through doctoral degrees
from our department. Larry has forged an unusual career as
an expert in fire and explosion investigation, hazardous waste
handling, and hazard investigation and accident reconstruc­
tion. He is vice president of Exponent, a San Francisco
company that specializes in failure analysis.
This newsletter offers you a glimpse of the diverse
activities within the department: the selection of Joe Garbini
as the first recipient of the Morrison Chair (pg 1), the studentinitiated project to install solar panels to help power the ME
building (pg 3), recognition of the outstanding career of
Visiting Committee member Rod Kirkwood (pg 6), the successes of our SAE vehicle and Human-Powered Submarine
student teams (pg 7), and the many activities planned for our
centennial celebration (pgs 4–5). This is an exciting time to
be part of the Mechanical Engineering department!
2005 Engineering Lecture Series: “Engineering the Unexpected”
Tuesday evening lectures, 7–8:30 pm, Kane Hall 110
For details and reservations: UW Alumni Association, www.UWalum.com, or 206.543.0540
November 1 ~ Engineering Disaster Relief
Engineering has a role in the logistics of relief efforts from African famines to
the Southeast Asian tsunami, to hurricanes in the U.S. Presented by Technical
Communication Professor Mark Haselkorn and UW alumna Kate Hulpke.
November 8
Engineering Detectives: Uncovering the Causes of Catastrophe
From the World Trade Center collapse to the Bellingham pipeline fire, to even
the Seattle Monorail, alumnus Larry Anderson’s team is often called to the
scene to determine why failure occurred and how to engineer solutions.
Presented by Larry W. Anderson (UW ME PhD ’66), group vice president,
Exponent (San Francisco).
November 15 ~ Saving Soldiers: Robots to the Rescue
Robot pods directed remotely by surgeons will save the lives of injured soldiers.
Presented by Electrical Engineering Professor Blake Hannaford and Surgery
Professor Mika Sinahan.
2 the MEssenger Vol 2:1, Autumn 2005
Research News
Student Initiative Leads to Green Power for ME Building
“One of the most exciting applications
of mechanical engineering is the ability
to harvest energy seemingly out of thin
air with solar and wind power,” says
Nathan Miller, BSME ’04. As a result
Solar panels on MEB roof. Nate Miller at right.
of Miller’s interest and initiative, a
demonstration solar power system
has been installed on the Mechanical
Engineering Building (MEB). This
system began producing electrical
power for the building in January 2005,
and has generated 1,792 kWh through
August. Current and future students,
inspired by this demonstration project,
may well play important roles in the
research needed to make solar power a
viable energy source in the Pacific
Northwest.
The project resulted from an
assignment Miller completed for an
environmental case studies class taught
by mechanical engineering Professor
Phil Malte. For the assignment, Miller
surveyed potential campus locations for
solar power installations. Impressed
with the study, Seattle City Light (SCL)
encouraged Miller to apply for a grant
to build a demonstration solar power
system on campus. In April 2003, SCL
made a grant of $20,000 for the solar
panels, wiring, and inverters for a 3kW
photovoltaic system.
It was at this point that the real
work began. A core design team of
undergraduate students (see sidebar)
formed to turn the concept into reality.
Their goals for the
project were: demonstrate the integration of
solar power into
building design;
promote increased use
of renewable energy on
and around campus;
and improve the energy
curriculum. This team,
all volunteers who
received no class credit
for their efforts, spent
countless hours
designing the system
and promoting the
project in meetings
with various groups
on campus. “We got pretty good at
presenting, or more accurately, selling,
our project to administrators, faculty,
and even fellow students,” said Miller.
The team chose the MEB as the
site for the project because it has a
south-facing location with significant
exposure to the sun, a broad, flat roof
suitable for a solar installation, and a
highly visible central campus location.
The ME Department, which already
offered courses focused on energy and
the environment in its curriculum,
readily agreed to back the project. “I
was very happy to support this studentinitiated effort,” said Professor Bruce
Adee. “Mechanical Engineering was a
natural location for this type of project.”
This project is a demonstration of
the potential of solar power. A computer monitor in the lobby of the MEB
provides details on the installation and
information on solar power as an
energy source. The cost of solar power
currently is much greater than that of
electricity generated by other sources in
the Pacific Northwest. Research focuses
on improving the efficiency and
decreasing the cost, so that solar power
can play an important part in supplying
this area’s future demand for electricity.
Miller might well be a part of this
research. After graduation, he accepted
a position with Keen Engineering in
Seattle, a firm specializing in sustainable building design. “I am considering
going back to graduate school,” he
says. The focus of his studies and
research would be renewable energy,
For current output data, go to
http://monitor.fatspaniel.com
• Scroll to Seattle City Light
• Click on Mechanical
Engineering Building
and he might well contribute to the
advances that will move solar power
from demonstration project to viable
energy source.
Student Design Team
Core Members
Nathan Miller
Mechanical Engineering
Stephen Mordue
Mechanical Engineering
Sean Conner
Physics
Other Members
Jeff Schneble
Physics
Scott Siekawitch
Architecture
Chris Quam
Electrical Engineering
Brian Polagye
ME graduate student
the MEssenger Vol 2:1, Autumn 2005 3
te!
a
D
e
h
Save t r 15, 2006
Mechanical Engineering Centennial
mbe
Septe
MSCUA, UW Libraries
ration
b
e
l
e
C
nnial
Cente
ME’s Early Facilities:
In 1909 Engineering Hall, a lega
Exposition, became the new hom
MSCUA, UW Libraries
The Power House, built in 1902,
housed the ME shops with classes in woodwork, pattern
making, foundry, and machine work.
Stability of Leadership
Just two men served as chair during
Mechanical Engineering’s first 58 years.
Early engineering drafting classes were held in the
attic of the Administration Building (now Denny Hall).
Note the female student in this 1909 photo.
L: Everett Owen Eastwood, 1905–1947
R: Bryan Towne McMinn, 1947–1963
First BSME
degrees
granted to
5 students.
First MSME
degree
granted to
Shinji Yonemote
in 1921.
Three ME graduates are
the first engineers to join
William Boeing’s new
airplane company in 1917.
ME’s chair, Everett Eastwood,
in 1929 takes on the
additional role of chairing
the new Department of
Aeronautical Engineering.
ME faculty and students, Class o
report their names on the cente
Husky eight-oar crew team,
with six engineering
students, including Gordon
Adams and Roger Morris
from ME, wins gold at the
1936 Olympics in Berlin —
with Hitler watching.
Milestones in UW Mechanical Engineering
1906
1910
World War I
1920
1930
The Depression
Advances & Noted Innovators in Mechanical Engineering
1904
Concept of Fixed
Boundary Layer
1906
Patent for Dew Point
Control System
Published in 1904 by
Ludwig Prandtl, a
German mechanical
engineering professor
and the father of
fluid mechanics.
William Carrier devises a
precise method for
controlling humidity,
allowing standardized
manufacturing of
air-conditioning systems.
4 the MEssenger Vol 2:1, Autumn 2005
1913
First Moving Assembly Line
for Automobiles
Introduced by
Ford Motor
Company to
mass produce
the Model-T.
1920s ~ 1950s
Industrial Engineering and
Time and Motion Studies
Lillian Gilbreth, a mechanical
engineering professor, helped
found the field of industrial
engineering and was a pioneer in
time and motion studies. She
received many honors and was
the first woman elected to the
National Academy of Engineering.
1940
The First Fifty Years 1906~1956
“We are honored to
co-chair the celebration of
acy of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific
me for most ME activities.
of 1930. If you can identify any,
ennial website (see sidebar).
After World War II,
enrollment boomed
and veterans made up
more than 85% of
engineering students.
World War II
1950
MSCUA, UW Libraries
MSCUA, UW Libraries
100 years of ME education
In 1929 ME gained classroom and office space in the new
Guggenheim Hall, which also housed the Civil and Aeronautical departments, and the dean’s office.
Who are these students testing the Murray Corliss engine
in 1949? Record your answer on the centennial website.
During the 1950s,
ME increased the
number of graduate
courses from 3 to 24
and granted 85
MSME degrees.
1956
1945
Patent for Speed Cruise
Control for Autos
1952
Area Rule of
Aircraft Design
Invented by mechanical
engineer Ralph Teeter; first
used in a 1958 Chrysler.
Mechanical engineer
Richard Whitcomb
discovers and verifies a
revolutionary design
concept to reduce drag
and increase speed.
He also invented the
supercritical wing and
winglets and was much
honored for his major
aviation advances.
at UW. The degrees we
earned were foundational
to our success.”
Centennial Honorary Chairs
Sally and Warren Jewell
BSME Degrees 1978
Sally Jewell is a UW Regent
and CEO of REI, Inc. Warren has
owned a computer software
development company. Both
are community volunteers.
Centennial Decade Reunions
Reconnect with your ME friends and emeritus faculty at events
honoring the classes and learn more about plans for the
Centennial Celebration on September 15, 2006.
Mark you calendar now! Invitations will be mailed.
Classes of 1930–1949:
Classes of 1950–1959:
Classes of 1960–1969:
Classes of 1970–1979:
Classes of 1980–1989:
Classes of 1990–2005:
Wednesday, October 12, 2005, luncheon
Thursday, October 27, 2005, luncheon
Thursday, January 19, 2006, reception
Thursday, February 23, 2006, reception
Thursday, March 16, 2006, reception
Thursday, April 6, 2006, reception
Your Story Is Our History
Your experiences and recollections of professors and classmates,
and your achievements, are the history of Mechanical Engineering.
Please send us your stories, photos (print or electronic), and memorabilia for display (e.g., design projects or tools). Thank you to those
who have already done so. All items and print photos will be
returned. Send to: Newsletter Editor, UW Mechanical Engineering,
Box 352600, Seattle, WA 98195-2600
or by email: [email protected].
Centennial Website: www.me.washington.edu
the MEssenger Vol 2:1, Autumn 2005 5
Alumni Corner
Seattle’s Icon Bears Rod Kirkwood’s Imprint
Celebrating life’s milestones at the
Space Needle is a Seattle tradition, but
rarely has the icon been a more fitting
venue than for the 1998 retirement party
for Rod Kirkwood, a UW-trained mechanical engineer who had a major hand
in the Needle’s design and construction
as director of engineering for John
Graham & Co. Architects and Engineers.
He is pictured with colleagues in a
glossy 2002 book, The Space Needle:
Symbol of Seattle, and is quoted on
the engineering feats that ensured the
605-foot structure would stand through
earthquakes and gale-force winds.
Another notable career achievement was Kirkwood’s national leadership role in developing building design
standards aimed at conserving energy.
As president of ASHRAE in 1974, he
initiated and led the development of
ASHRAE Standard 90, which changed
every facet of architectural, mechanical, and electrical design to achieve major reductions in building energy use.
Standard 90 is now an ANSI standard
providing savings throughout the world.
“It has resulted in a 50% reduction in
energy used in buildings and emissions
from buildings in the U.S,”
Kirkwood notes. “This is an
example of the exciting way
in which engineers have been
able to make life better for
millions of people.”
Over his 46-year career
at Graham & Co., Kirkwood
rode the elevator to the top
management levels as director of operations, partner, and president. He has left
his imprint all over Seattle: The Westin
Hotel & Tower, Bank of California
Building, Henry M. Jackson Federal
Building, 1111 Third Avenue, Northgate
Mall, and projects for Boeing and
Nordstrom. He also worked on shopping malls, office buildings, and other
facilities from New York to Alaska and
Hawaii, and all across Canada.
Kirkwood’s road led back to the
UW when a model of the Needle was
tested in the Aeronautics & Astronautics
wind tunnel. “The top house rotated
with high winds, so we made design
changes,” he says. For his work on the
Needle he was honored as the 1963
“Engineer of the Year” by the
Washington Society of Professional
Alumni News & Notes
Adrian Gamboa (BSME ’01, MSME ’04) won the 2005 College Design
Engineering Award administered by Design News and sponsored by ANSYS.
He earned a $20,000 cash prize for work based on his master’s research, done
under Professor Fred Forster, to optimize the shape of a nozzle diffuser and
Tesla-type valves for micropumps. Gamboa now works for Lockheed-Martin.
Ralph Edwards (BSME ’52, MSE-Industrial ’69) has received a patent for his
design of a modular, electronic riflescope for sport hunting and target shooting. He retired in 2000 after a 22 years as an industrial engineer at Leupold and
Stevens in Beaverton, Ore. Earlier he worked at Boeing and at companies in
Wisconsin and San Diego. He and wife, Anna, now live in Vancouver, Wash.
We’d like to hear from you. Send news about your professional or personal
accomplishments and activities to: [email protected] or to Newsletter
Editor, UW Mechanical Engineering, Box 352600, Seattle WA 98195-2600
6 the MEssenger Vol 2:1, Autumn 2005
Engineers and Puget Sound
Engineering Council.
Growing up in Minnesota
and Montana during the
Depression, Kirkwood had no
inkling of a future working
with movers and shakers to
transform a provincial Northwest outpost into one of the
nation’s showcase cities. Even his path
through UW Mechanical Engineering
had as many outs as ins: complete a
couple of quarters, off to Montana or
North Dakota to work full-time, back to
the UW for few quarters, drop out
again to earn money to pay tuition.
He was on his way to completing
his degree when World War II sent him
into the Army. By the time the war
ended he had married and started a
family. Returning to the UW full-time
was not an option, so he enrolled parttime at Seattle University to complete
the final courses for a BS degree. His
ties that bind are with the UW, though,
and he is a long-time member of the
ME Visiting Committee and also
serves on the ME Centennial History
and Program Committee.
In reflecting on his career, Kirkwood says his greatest satisfaction is
not the Space Needle, or any other
edifice, but simply doing a good job for
the client. “There are a lot of unfortunate buildings that don’t do the job
effectively because the aesthetics take
over. Do a building right and it works
well for people,” asserts this engineer
best known for the icon that turns all
eyes skyward.
Your support means a lot to ME!
Please designate your UW Annual Fund
gift for Mechanical Engineering.
Thank you!
Academic Spotlight
Faculty Honors
WEI LI received a Presidential
Early Career Award at a
ceremony held in June at the
White House.
ANN MESCHER, ASHLEY EMERY,
and HAYDEN REEVE, PhD ‘03,
received a Best Paper Award
from the ASME Heat Transfer
Division for their paper entitled
“Investigation of Polymer
Optical Fiber Drawing Force
and Heat Transfer.”
ALBERT KOBAYASHI was elected
an Honorary Fellow of the
International Congress of
Fracture.
SAE Car Places Fifth at Detroit
The 2004-2005 team finished fifth out
of 140 teams, missing fourth place by
0.422 points out of 1000. This equalled
last year’s fifth place finish, establish­
ing the UW among the elite top five for
the second year in a row. The 2004-05
team concentrated on refining many
details of the car, and it was a superbly
engineered machine. The 2005-06 team
is already hard at work and eagerly
anticipating the 2006 competition.
Performing inertia test on the car in the SAE shop.
Human Powered Submarine Competition
ERIC SEIBEL received a $2 million
grant from the PENTAX
Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, to
develop ultrathin, flexible and
disposable endoscopes.
Dive Dawg, the 20042005 submarine (at left),
competed in the 8th
International Submarine
Races last June. The UW
team placed 6th of 22,
with a top speed of 4.5
kts. The 2006 competition
will be in Escondido, CA.
Zeng Receives
Technology Award
Experts in Nanotechnology Join the Faculty
Dr. JIOU ZENG, MSME ’88 (right), a
senior scientist with Omax Corporation,
received the Waterjet Technology
Association’s 2005 “Technology
Award” from MOHAMED HASHISH,
PhD, senior vice president at Flow
International Corp. and UW affiliate
professor of mechanical engineering.
Two new assistant professors will
strengthen the department’s teaching
and research in the areas of nanotech­
nology and mech­anics
of materials.
JAEHYUN CHUNG
arrived on September
1. His research
focuses on extended
DNA structures,
modified carbon
nanotubes, and
nanoscale fabrication
Jaehyun Chung
processes. Chung did
his undergrad­uate work in Korea,
received his PhD in mechanical
engineering from Northwestern Univer­
sity in 2004, and was a postdoctoral
fellow there.
JIANGYU LI arrives on January 1
from the University of Nebraska,
where he has been a faculty
member since 2001. His
nanotechnology research
concentrates in the fields of
active materials, ferroelectrics,
and ferromagnetism. Li
completed his under­graduate
work in China and earned his
PhD from the University of
Colorado in 1998. He completed
postdoctoral assignments at the
University of California–San Diego and
at Cal Tech.
the MEssenger Vol 2:1, Autumn 2005 7
Morrison Chair
ME Centennial
History and Program Committee
(Continued from page 1)
His research of the past 12 years has focused on the
development of a special-purpose micro-electromechanical
system: magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM).
In principle, it will enable scientists to directly observe
molecular structure in situ, in three dimensions, with atomic
resolution. Such an imaging technology would address urgent
needs in nanoscale engineering, materials science, molecular
biology, and medicine. Garbini’s team recently received a
five-year, $5 million federal grant to lead a multi-university
research initiative to speed development and refinement of
MRFM for practical application.
“I am pleased to hold a chair honoring Jim Morrison. He
was a great help and inspiration to me when I was a new
faculty member,” Garbini says. “Support from the chair will
enable me to improve ME courses and provide research
opportunities to students in quantum systems engineering.”
The Morrison Endowed Chair was established with a
generous gift from Henry T. Schatz, BSME ’64, president and
CEO of General Plastics Manufacturing Company. Professor
Morrison’s emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving
inspired Schatz during his undergraduate years. This endowed
chair enables ME to attract or retain distinguished faculty.
L to R: committee members John Baxter BSME ’62, Emmett Day,
Bruce Adee, Dean McFeron, and Jim Morrison review UW ME archival
material.
UWME Reception for Alumni and Friends
at the 2005 ASME Conference
Wednesday, November 9, 2005
5:30 - 7:00 PM Three-Bay Hospitality Suite
Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort Hotel, Orlando
Light hors d’oeuvres & no-host bar
Brief program at 6 PM
Meet new department chair Mark Tuttle, renew friendships,
hear about the department’s activities, and say hello to some
of your favorite faculty members. Additional information will
be posted at the conference.
ME Website: www.me.washington.edu / ME Main Office: 206.543.5090
the MEssenger
Editor: Curt Fritsch
Layout: Nancy Moses
Faculty Advisor: Brian Fabien
Contributors:
Anne Fitzmaurice Adams
C. Wellnitz Photography
Sandy Marvinney
Mark Tuttle
Send address corrections,
questions, and comments to:
Editor, ME Newsletter
at the return address above.
Mechanical Engineering Building 143, Box 352600
Seattle, Washington 98195-2600